Applebee’s wages fight over nontipped duties

Fox partner Carolyn D. Richmond was recently quoted in “Applebee’s wages fight over nontipped duties,” an article by Milford Prewitt that appeared in the October 22 issue of Nation’s Restaurant News (Vol. 41, No. 42).

Richmond offer her insights into a class action lawsuit alleging that Applebee’s International Inc. has underpaid tipped employees who also perform “side work” as part of their duties – particularly when more than 20 percent of the employee’s time is spent on such work and pay remains below minimum wage.

Richmond, who has no involvement with the case, said that “Whether restaurant owners can keep the tip credit alongside of side work is the multimillion-dollar question operators face when they have the plaintiff’s bar knocking at the door.”